We all had a fun little adventure at the EPCOT Land Pavilion and the Beach Club Resort. We started the evening with dinner with friends at the Garden Grill Restaurant, which is a sit down family style restaurant with Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Chip and Dale characters stopping by the table to “say hi”. The three of us had never experienced anything like this before so we were glad we went with some experienced friends who are also extremely supportive of Saffy! We had a wonderful dinner and Saffy got to “meet” Pluto and checked Mickey out just a little. We decided to leave Chip and Dale for another experience. Saffy did really well staying under the table as required, so much so the server apologized if she came by too fast because she forgot about Saffy! Our wonderful friends got the videos and James got the awesome pictures! Pluto was very kind when I explained this was Saffy’s first time meeting a character and “he” allowed her to sniff “his” paws and check out his nose. We all were overcome with squee! After dinner we all rode the Land ride. @Kenzie Carlson Thank you for the front of boat suggestion. Saffy loved seeing everything and did really well for her first ride! She did bark/woof at the chickens but I quickly corrected with a quiet. @Amanda Taulborg I am figuring her doing this is not ideal but is this a case of SDs are still dogs and may still react as dogs at times? (i.e. slight woofing at moving/squawking birds no matter where we are) After the ride, we went to a SD relief area and were headed back to the Land Pavilion when the fireworks started. Saffy did spook a little but with correction came back to a heel and maintained with some continued corrections to get back to the shelter of the building. We were very pleased with how she handled the situation. There is more work to do but a very good start. Our stay at the Beach Club worked out wonderfully as we asked for a lower floor near an exit as we were traveling with an SD. The room they gave us was right on the SD relief area with access from the “fire” exit door or our room. Saffy picked it up so fast . . . after two trips we said “inside” and she went right to the fire exit door. She barked twice during the day at some loud noise but quieted with one command and during the night she slept soundly and quietly in her portable crate. She loves that we took sheets to cover the bed and couch so she could enjoy being with us like at home. We are super excited with how these first experiences went!

Service dogs regularly encounter new objects, surfaces, sounds, and environments. Building confidence doesn’t mean forcing them through something scary—it means helping them investigate, learn, and realize that they can handle it. Here are three tips for introducing your service dog to something new or potentially scary: 🐾 Let them approach on their own. Avoid dragging or forcing your dog toward the object. Give them enough space to make the choice while you encourage them forward. 🐾 Praise and reward the sniff. The moment your dog is brave enough to investigate or sniff the object, mark it with “yes,” praise them, and reward them. That curiosity is exactly what we want! 🐾 Walk away, come back, and repeat. Standing close to something scary can create a lot of pressure. Walking away gives your dog a chance to shake it off, decompress, and process what they just learned. Then approach again and repeat. Look for a loose body, waggy tail, head held up, and other signs that your dog is becoming more comfortable and confident. Keep it fun, celebrate the small wins, and always tell your dog how cool they are for being so big and brave! 🐶💛 A big shout out to @Julie Kelley for volunteering as Olaf! ⛄... and for the belly laughs 😂